Pixels ease amputees' pain

Article

A new virtual reality system that gives the illusion that a person's amputated limb is still there has helped ease phantom pain in amputees.

A new virtual reality system that gives the illusion that a person's amputated limb is still there has helped ease phantom pain in amputees.

Previous research using a mirror-box had found that when a person's brain is tricked into believing it can see and move a phantom limb, pain can decrease. Rather than use mirrors, Craig D. Murray, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Manchester in the U.K. used the latest 3D computer-generated graphics to allow patients to see themselves with two sets of limbs. Patients can use their remaining physical arm or leg to control the movements of a computer-generated limb.

"One patient felt that the fingers of her amputated hand were continually clenched into her palm, which was very painful for her. However, after just one session using the virtual system, she began to feel movement in her fingers, and the pain began to ease," said Murray, who presented the study in Denmark at the 2006 Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality, and Associated Technologies.

Recent Videos
New Mammography Studies Assess Image-Based AI Risk Models and Breast Arterial Calcification Detection
Can Deep Learning Provide a CT-Less Alternative for Attenuation Compensation with SPECT MPI?
Employing AI in Detecting Subdural Hematomas on Head CTs: An Interview with Jeremy Heit, MD, PhD
Pertinent Insights into the Imaging of Patients with Marfan Syndrome
What New Brain MRI Research Reveals About Cannabis Use and Working Memory Tasks
Current and Emerging Legislative Priorities for Radiology in 2025
How Will the New FDA Guidance Affect AI Software in Radiology?: An Interview with Nina Kottler, MD, Part 2
A Closer Look at the New Appropriate Use Criteria for Brain PET: An Interview with Phillip Kuo, MD, Part 2
How Will the New FDA Guidance Affect AI Software in Radiology?: An Interview with Nina Kottler, MD, Part 1
A Closer Look at the New Appropriate Use Criteria for Brain PET: An Interview with Phillip Kuo, MD, Part 1
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.